Numerous inventions exist which disclose chairs or other support devices that provide stability to the surgeon's body during surgery. Because many surgical procedures can be quite lengthy, it is imperative that the surgeon be kept in a comfortable position so that the surgeon may concentrate on the work at hand with a minimum amount of discomfort. Medical researchers have demonstrated the superiority of a sitting posture which decreases the angle of the thighs in relation to the torso from the traditional 90.degree.. Normally, a sit-kneel type chair is provided with a seat which is angled 15.degree. to 30.degree. forward with a correspondingly angled knee rest. This style of chair and sitting posture have the advantages of distributing some of a person's weight to the knees and shins thus taking pressure off the posterior. In addition, a sit-kneel type chair restores the natural curve of the lumbar spine thus relieving pressure from the back, while at the same time uncramping the torso for freer breathing and circulation. Important additional advantages of this type of chair are that it provides for a more upright posture for the surgeon leaning over the patient's body resulting in improved access to and viewing of the surgical cavity, and a downward angle for the thigh facilitating a closer interface of the surgeon to the operating table.
Medical researchers have also shown the desirability of a tilting seat over a traditional fixed flat seat. Over time, sitting in a fixed posture produces increased restlessness. A tilting seat allows natural movement facilitating a much less restrained posture. Additional advantages include the fact that when the seat height is raised higher than the back of the knee, the seat tilts forward thus preventing undue pressure on the back of the thigh, constriction of the femoral arteries, and pressure on the sciatic nerve.
One of the disadvantages of the prior art has been that the chair or support device did not adequately support a critical portion of the surgeon's body which resulted in inadvertent surgeon fatigue. Another disadvantage of the prior art is that for those inventions which have provided support in the needed bodily areas, these inventions have been complex and expensive to manufacture. Yet another disadvantage of the prior art is that the surgeon often had to expose a non-sterile portion of the body to a sterile portion of the chair in order to access the chair. This exposure created sterility problems in the surrounding surgical area.
One example of a surgeon's chair is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,941 to Twisselmann which discloses a device comprising an adjustable chair portion and an adjustable arm rest portion which may be locked into the desired position by the surgeon.
Other examples include U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,787 to Gerber and U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,423 to Fitzig et al. which disclose surgical-type chairs providing support to the torso and elbows of a surgeon.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,568,988 to Childs discloses a dentist chair which provides a swivel portion which may be alternatively used either as a back support or front torso support. A disadvantage of this device and many other similar devices is that the swivel portion cannot be used as a front torso support in surgery. If the swivel portion is in contact with the front of a surgeon's sterile gown, it must be sterilized or covered with a sterile drape. The back side of a surgeon is not considered sterile, therefore, as the surgeon sits in the chair and the surgeon's back contacts the swivel portion, the swivel portion is no longer considered sterile and cannot be swiveled in front of the surgeon.
A front torso support is particularly advantageous for a chair with a tilting seat as the torso support serves to stabilize the trunk of the body while the lower extremities are allowed to flex with the tilting seat. The front support also prevents sliding off the seat when the chair is tilted forward or when trying to move the chair. This front support is especially important when a knee rest is not used.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide for a surgical chair that enables access by a surgeon without compromising the sterility of the surrounding surgical area.
It is one object of this invention to provide for a chair which provides support to the torso and arms of a surgeon during delicate procedures such as microsurgery when the torso and arms require stabilization.
It is another object of this invention to provide for a device which reduces the stress on the spine by providing a knee rest support.
Another object of this invention is to provide for a surgical chair with torso and arm supports that may be selectively adjusted to the desired horizontal and vertical position along with a lifting mechanism that allows the surgeon to selectively adjust the vertical height of the seat.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide for remotely located controls for adjustment of the vertical height of the seat and horizontal adjustment of the torso, arm and wrist supports by a scrubbed surgeon. The controls are located above the surgeon's waist, below which is not considered sterile, and are easily operated beneath a sterile drape.
While the prior art references may be adequate for their intended purposes, none of the references disclose the novel elements set forth herein.